This is the fifth in a series of articles which will increase your awareness about Identity Theft.

Have you been hearing and reading reports about the crime of Identity Theft?



Do you have any idea what Identity Theft is?



What is Identity Theft?



It is the stealing of items of your personal information such as your social security number, Drivers license number, address, phone number, debit card details, credit card details, bank account numbers, and even your mothers maiden name, with the intention of using this information to defraud you and make money for the person who is perpetrating the crime.





You need to exercise extreme care at all times to protect all of your personal information. Only by being very careful at all times, can you expect to avoid becoming a victim of Identity Theft.



How can you prevent yourself from identity theft? Here are a few suggestions. More suggestions can be found in other articles that I have written on the subject of Identity Theft. See website below for further information.



When You are at Home:



If you have roommates or visitors, or in some cases members of your family living with you, make sure that you keep your personal information secure at all times. I am not saying that these people will attempt to steal identity items from you, but there have been numerable cases that have been prosecuted, where the instigator has been close to the family and well known to the family.



Place your outgoing mail in the post office collection box or else mail it at the nearest post office, rather than put it in your mail box, which can be accessed by anyone who wishes to do so. Remove your incoming mail from your mailbox as soon as practically possible. If you are going to be away from home, have the post office hold your mail until you return.



Destroy all your documents that you receive in the mail, after you have dealt with them, including junk mail items that may have credit or personal information on them, such as credit card company solicitations. If you are able destroy this information by shredding.



If you are at Work:



You may be requested to provide personal information. Enquire as to how this information is to be used and what kind of security is in place. You do not want your personal data left lying around in an office where prying eyes can acquire it.



On the Internet:



If you are contemplating business transactions online, read thoroughly about the confidentiality of the website. Make sure you are giving any personal information to someone who is going to maintain it securely. If in doubt, do not provide the information.



You should consider using your Pay Pal account whenever possible to make payments to third parties. This will protect the credit card information that you might otherwise be needed to provide.



Avoid giving your personal data over the telephone, via email, or online unless you have initiated the contact or you already know the person with whom you are doing business.



In conclusion, always be alert. If someone asks for your personal information, be it a friend, acquaintance, or business, ask the reason why they want it from you and how they will protect it if provided.



John Ritchie,

Copyright to this article belongs to John Ritchie.

http://www.johnritchieonline.com

For more detailed information on Identity Theft, and to sign up for our 5 part e-course, go to http://www.johnritchieonline.com .

You may download and distribute this article freely and without restrictions. You must not, however, delete the resource box link.





By: John Ritchie

About the Author:

Crooks are becoming more inventive in how they take your identity. Bravery is not a must any more, nor is guns and knives or any physical hurt. Now days it may possibly be your neighbor or a person you pass in the mall. We can by no means be too cautious with our identity.

Whatever system the lawbreakers use, mail theft, account invasion, dumpster diving, the end result is the same: An nave person like you is ripped off.

Think about this for a moment; what is a very low-tech technique use by thieves to pull off identity theft? It is simply stealing mail from unsecured mailboxes. Thieves have been stealing mail out of unsecured mail boxes for many years; but it has only been in the current time that thieves have come to recognize the profit to be achieved from the financial information they can get. How safe is your mail box?

Mail theft happens most of the time, according to the figures, at places where unprotected and easy to get to mailboxes are these are mailboxes without a lock and in common places. Does your mailbox fall into this type?

Thieves know how to and carry out, using outgoing stolen mail, obtain sufficient indispensable information to begain a new account with the victims (your) name. Crooks can take pre-approved credit card application, change the address to a new address, and then send it in. Criminals can steal a credit card statement, lift the account number, and buy goods or services. A thief can watch your incoming mail for a new credit card or ATM card, steal it, and charge thousands of dollars to it in one afternoon.

What about the red flag on your mailbox? One mail carrier said, The postal service call those red flags the steal me flags. Start taking your out-going mail to the post office or drop US mail boxes on your way to or from work. Thieves can and will do much damage with what they remove from your mailbox.



By: Ramon Ross

About the Author: